Rangel, Waters Charges Put Harlem And Watts In Spotlight

Reps. Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters have more than just financial scandal in common as they face career-threatening charges before the House ethics committee.

The two House Democrats represent districts that were once iconic centers of African-American culture and history — Harlem, N.Y., and Watts, Calif., — that have changed dramatically since they were first elected. Rangel’s home base and Waters’s district — now known as South Central — have undergone radical change as blacks now account for one-third of their local population, and each district is at or close to majority Hispanic.